Les Soufflés Le Plus Faciles du Monde!

It really is quite a claim from Fanny Cradock here, but she insists that these soufflés are the easiest in the world. I like to think that she's been very thorough and inspected everyone else's soufflé recipes on her global travels, but my guess is that in typical Fanny style she just states that hers are the best, the easiest, the most professional and so on, and we are to believe her. They do seem easy it has to be said, and continuing the citrus theme, making good use of some of last years homemade marmalade. The only other ingredients are egg whites and some expertly chosen grapefruit.

Fanny tells me to start by whisking the egg whites very stiffly, without using even a 'vestige' of salt. I wasn't going to, honest Fanny. I don't know what a vestige of salt is, but it's not included in the recipe, so why would I add it - by now I am following every word Fanny tells me and only adding techniques and ideas of my own where I can get away with it. Adding salt isn't one of those times - but I guess some people must've suggested that Fanny should. She dismisses this as a "naughty old wives' tale" and urges us all to simply forget it. Consider it done Fanny, completely wiped from my mind.

While the egg whites are stiffening, I sieve my homemade marmalade and am reminded how gorgeous it looks and smells. It's nearly marmalade season again! Fanny recommends any marmalade - orange, lemon or grapefruit - and additionally suggests this could be replaced with any sieved jam. Once sieved it should be folded gently into the stiff egg whites. Fanny insists that everyone buys a rubber spatula for this job, as they are invaluable and inexpensive. I'd imagine in 1970 they'd be a little more unusual than they are today, but just as handy!

In typical Fanny style, the soufflé mix should be placed in hollowed out grapefruit halves before baking. Fanny suggests saving the shells when having her hot grapefruit for breakfast, but I haven't. I'm sure I'd be forgiven, and will remember next time, I promise. Fanny says I can also use lemons or oranges with their tops sliced off and scooped out, but I've found some lovely looking white grapefruit, so I halve them and scoop out the flesh. 

Once filled to the brim, they are simply popped on a baking sheet and baked for 8 minutes in a hot oven, dusted with icing sugar and served immediately. Or if preferred, left to cool and served. Fanny says it doesn't matter, after all these are the easiest soufflés in the world and will always stay 'up' according to Fanny. For me, they do look great, but do start to fall a little as soon as they are out the oven. I'm not going to argue with Fanny though, it's probably something I've done. At first I thought the hollowed grapefruit were just a quirky presentation a la Cradock, but they actually give the finished soufflé a real kick of grapefruit taste and aroma on top of the zesty fresh marmalade filling. Zingy. Oh and they do look good, and they were easy. The easiest soufflé in the world remember.

Breakfast at Fanny's - Go Lightly with Grapefruit

Fanny continues her exploration of citrus fruits with a light, yet sophisticated of course, breakfast idea - perfect for those virtuous days of the early New Year. She unveils her Pamplemousses Chauds, or Hot Baked Grapefruit, to try and encourage our increased intake of Vitamin C in a wonderful way. Fanny recommends using Pink Grapefuits whenever possible - not only because they are 'superb' (and who would need any other reason?) but because she is hacked off that they have gone AWOL because the British public simply do not 'fancy' the idea of 'pink' ones. So, superb and snubbed by the British public is clearly ideal. I go pink.

Fanny wants to play a game - she bets that she can name more varieties of citrus fruit than we can. We are told to grab a pencil and write down as many as we know, and of course compare the list to her exhaustive one. Fanny wins. Every time. Fanny tells me the original Grapefruit was known as the Shaddock (and she strangely DOESN'T make any jokes about it...) which, within the 'trade' (I think she means restaurants perhaps, unless there is a black market for citrus?) as a Pomelo and is only obtainable in India. Handy. The 'pink' Red Blush Grapefruit she recommends has been developed in Texas and also South Africa, so it must be superb after all. Fanny has one plea, when choosing a grapefruit she wants us to be 'professional' buyers and not amateurs, and to do as the experts do and go for the ones with little brown blemishes on the skin, and never the all-over clear, yellow-skinned ones. The blemishes are the hall mark of top flavour and full fleshed juiciness! Phew, mine has brown blemishes...

So, confident that I have chosen well (as a professional might) I set to work, with Fanny's guidance, baking my grapefruit. It's a little more involved than I expected. Slice the grapefruit in half, and loosen all the sections from the skin with a grapefruit knife. Oh hang, I don't know what a grapefruit knife is, and clearly don't have one. Is this a good time to admit that I have never even liked grapefruit? Undeterred, I leave the halves upside down for 30 minutes to 'drain' before setting them right way up on a baking sheet and dotting them with pieces of brown sugar and flakes of butter. Then, simply bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Fanny notes that the grapefruit will have swollen during baking and will appear much larger than when raw. They do, and they actually look quite beautiful. Fanny suggests a simple garnish of glacé cherries and some orange leaves, which I just happen to have lurking in my fruit bowl. The Pamplemousses Chaud taste better than I expected, but I'm not sure I will continue to be quite this virtuous at breakfast. Fanny suggests adding a spoonful of dry Sherry or Madeira before baking if I fancy a more elegant evening starter course, which sounds much more like it...